Poor Shakespeare. Contemporary theater companies will never leave his work alone. One cannot count the number of “timely” updates to his 400-year-old plays over the years. Now Milwaukee Repertory Theater gives us an As You Like It that’s all dolled up in the groovy, psychedelic 1960s. Furthermore, a great deal of the story is now told in song, with more than 20 Beatles tunes added to spice things up.
Fear not. This cross-breeding of the Bard and The Beatles turns out to be a better choice than one would think. The show is conceived, adapted and directed by Daryl Cloran. His co-conspirators are part of Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. While one might think this company is from sunny California, in fact it resides in Vancouver, Canada. (Audiences might pick up a hint of Canadian accent in some of the characters’ speech.) The Rep’s production was created in cooperation with Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
Instead of opening in court, as traditional productions of As You Like It often do, this time there’s a wrestling ring sitting front and center. The wrestling starts a few minutes before curtain in a pre-show emceed by Touchstone (Patrick Martin), one of the Shakespeare’s characters. He introduces the wrestlers, who then perform acrobatic, World-Wide Wrestling techniques to conquer their opponent.
Before the wrestling tournament ends, things get totally out of hand. Even two women – one wearing a mini-skirt and the other, a fur hat and coat - get into the act as they grapple on the mat. One of them is Eleanor Rigby (Heidi Kettenring), one of the fighter’s girlfriends. The other is known as “Mother Russia” (Sophie Murk). Even a metal garbage can somehow makes its way into the ring. The “props” are put to good use by Charles (Marquis Wood) and other male wrestlers.
Okay, but does it work? In general, this lightweight romantic comedy was made to be spoofed. Full of ridiculous coincidences and gender swapping, the story glides lightly through one’s consciousness like a silken gown. Shakespeare purists may be incensed at this treatment, but the local audiences are laughing so hard that no one would even notice them.
Soon the wrestling ring evaporates, and audiences are transported into the Forest of Arden. Sandal-wearing hippies in long robes seem to “hang out” here. As they speak, a full-size, yellow VW van arrives. Naturally, the van is decked out with trippy images using day-glo paint.
The story develops along Shakespeare’s general outline. The romance between Orlando (Justin Gregory Lopez) and fair Rosalind (Savannah L. Jackson) proceeds as usual. Rosalind sings, “Eight Days a Week;” at another point, Orlando chimes in with his rendition of “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” They are an attractive pair who create the necessary physical chemistry.
Other memorable characters include Celia, Rosalind’s devoted cousin (Lizzy Brooks), their friend and confidant Touchstone and Charles, the wrestler (Marquis Wood). While many of these actors’ faces are new to Milwaukee Rep audiences, there’s also the pleasant addition of Milwaukee favorite Norman Moses. He plays Orlando’s friend and traveling companion most of the time (although he also shines, briefly, as a long-haired spiritual guide).
One of the oddest characters is Jaques (Trish Lindstrom), who appears in the forest as an Andy Warhol lookalike. She appears to be channeling some otherworldly source. Lindstrom’s performance is reminiscent of what one might expect from “Saturday Night Live” TV star Kate McKinnon if she were playing such a character. With Jaques’s whacked-out musings and melancholy demeanor, is it any wonder that her dialogue eventually drifts into the song, “I Am the Walrus?”
It should be mentioned that the Beatles’ tunes are performed by a small cover band. Impressively, the multi-talented actors take turns behind the guitar or drum set to provide musical accompaniment while other cast members sing (and/or dance). One of many highlights is the band’s rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Aside from the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s full-blown musical productions (Titanic is opening later this season), As You Like It creates an equal amount of sensory overload. Every aspect of the production is spot-on sixties, from the costumes (Carmen Alatorre) to the hip-swiveling choreography (Jonathan Hawley Purvis) and Ben Elliott’s music direction. Not to be missed are the vibrant lighting effects by Gerald King, and the sound work by J. Jumbelic, based on Peter McBoyle’s sound design.
Make no mistake, As You Like It is a show worth seeing, whether one experienced the 1960s, or has just read about it in history books.
